I started every stage with the rifle unloaded and the clip either staged next to it or on my vest. On the stage with the 20 round magazine limit, I shot it with two clips (16rds) and then transitioned to pistol. Most stages didn't require a reload if you were using an AR. I always had to load once, then do one or two more reloads during the stage.
We did the walkthrough on stage five... "After clearing the star, engage the five remaining paper targets with your rifle." and I'm thinking "Five? Why couldn't it have been four?"
I picked up some tips on loading it from some seasoned Garand shooters that I'm going to try on my next trip to the range.